Stolen Moments
by Fleur Princesse
Summary: During one of the Gaangs nights at the Western Air Temple, Zuko happens to witness a private moment between Aang and Katara. Told from Zuko's point of view, but Kataang centered!


Author's Note: This is supposed to take place while the gang is at the Western Air Temple in the 3rd season. It's just a moment, during one of those days, that Zuko happens to witness. Purely fun and playful. If you like it, don't forget to let me know it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

**Stolen Moments**

Zuko couldn't sleep. The stars were unusually bright in the black sky, and the moon, nearly full, was only half hidden by the looming, upside-down buildings of the Western Air Temple. Zuko stood at the window of the small room he had been given when he first joined with the Avatar. Off in the distance he could see the small rock tent under which Toph would be snoring. Appa, the Avatar's giant flying bison, and Momo the lemur were both asleep nearby. With a small sigh, Zuko stood up and rolled his neck and shoulders until he heard a satisfying pop. He left his room quietly, not wanting to wake any of the others, and headed out into the courtyard where the fountain lazily streamed jets of water.

As he walked, he trailed small ribbons of fire from his fingers. The sensation was odd, as it had been since he had learned with Aang how to control fire without anger. Zuko, having lived with fear, and anger, and hatred for much of his life, marveled at the new feelings that firebending gave him. Instead of heat rising in every part of his body, it was now centered deliciously in his core. He remembered his lessons with Uncle Iroh, what felt like a lifetime ago now, and how he had always urged Zuko to firebend using the very center of his being.

Zuko brought his hands up and watched the small flames dance over his fingertips. The absence of anger, still so strange, did not make his bending weaker, as he once would have thought. Instead, with the source of his energy centered at his core, ready, waiting, willing to answer his commands, his bending was more powerful than it had ever been. He tried to imagine for a moment what Uncle Iroh would say about this improvement. But thinking of his uncle made his stomach twist painfully, and he dropped the matter from his mind.

His footsteps, silent on stone, brought him quickly to the courtyard. But the voices, quiet as they were, made him hesitate behind a pillar with the dancing flames now turned into a fireball, ready to attack what must be intruders. Slowly, and deliberately controlling his breathing, Zuko peaked around the pillar. The fireball vanished from sight instantly as he recognized not a threat, but Aang and Katara.

They were sitting on the edge of the fountain, side by side, the tips of their fingers nearly, but not quite touching. The Avatar was looking down at the ground, apparently lost in thought, but the waterbender gazed steadily at him, an expression on her face that Zuko had come to recognize as worry.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about your dream?" she asked Aang gently, in a whisper so quiet Zuko had to strain to hear it.

A blush rose on the Avatar's cheeks. "N-n-no," he stuttered, and finally looked up at her. "It wasn't anything bad Katara, I promise."

She looked unconvinced. "Even dreams that you think mean nothing might possibly be important," she insisted. "Remember what happened when we were travelling to the North Pole? Your nightmare about the storm?"

Zuko thought he knew to which storm she was referring. That had been one of the few times that he had willingly let the Avatar escape his grasp in favor of bringing his ship and his men to safety.

"This wasn't like that," said Aang quietly. "It was just an ordinary dream."

"Then why can't you sleep?" asked Katara.

If Zuko hadn't been curious as to the answer, he would have gone back to bed. He thought Katara was being nosy, but having had experience with her persistence, knew that if anyone could pry answers out of Aang, it was the waterbender.

Aang, however, simply shrugged his shoulders. "I just can't. I guess I'm just –" He looked at her helplessly. "I'm nervous, Katara. I'm worried, and scared, and stressed. The comet will be here so soon, and I just – I just…" He trailed off, and then stood up angrily. "I'm only twelve!"

Katara bit her lip and reached hesitantly toward him. "Aang…"

"I shouldn't have to deal with this!" snapped Aang. "I'm just a kid!"

Privately, Zuko agreed with him. Expecting a twelve-year-old boy to defeat the Fire Nation, to defeat Fire Lord Ozai, was like asking a newborn baby to survive on its own. And yet Zuko had to admit, also privately, that if anyone had a chance, if anyone could actually do it, Aang was the one. Having personally taught him firebending, and having watched him practice the other types of bending as well, Zuko knew that there was none more qualified or more powerful. Bending came as naturally to Aang as breathing. He might only be twelve, but Zuko was sure that no one alive, not even the Fire Lord, could surpass his abilities.

Apparently Katara thought similarly, for she was valiantly trying to soothe Aang with the same explanation. As Zuko watched, Katara finally managed to grasp Aang's hand and hold on tightly.

"Aang," she said. "Do you remember when I stole the Waterbending Scroll from those pirates?"

He smiled wistfully. "How could I forget?"

"Do you remember what I said to you, when you proved that waterbending came nearly as easy to you as airbending?" prompted Katara.

Aang nodded and look away, but he did not answer.

Katara reached her other hand up and pulled his chin until he was looking at her again. "I said that you were naturally gifted." She smiled sheepishly. "Granted, I was somewhat jealous and angry at the time, but I wasn't lying. You are the most talented, gifted bender I've ever met. I believe in you. And I know, without a doubt, that you will win this fight."

Aang smiled, his eyes huge and hopeful in his face, but before he could reply, Katara pulled him to his feet.

"Come on, let's play a little," she suggested. "See if we can't calm those nerves of yours."

And before Aang could inquire or protest as to her meaning, she whipped him lightly on the backside with a thin stream of water. All was still, and then Aang laughed and jumped up onto the ledge of the fountain. Bending air to make his steps light, he ran around the fountain, pulling a wall of water up around him as he did so. Katara was only a moment behind him, and then she was on the ledge too, slicing through his wall and sending another whip toward his rear.

Zuko pulled back behind the pillar slightly, wary of the two of them seeing his shadow, and also of intruding on one of the few instances that they could spend together, without anyone watching or bothering them. For a moment, he thought about returning to bed. But as a bender himself, he was drawn to their "play" as curiously as anyone else would have been, eager to see what he could learn by watching their tricks and maneuvers. Feeling brave, guilty, and eager all at once, Zuko again peered out from behind the pillar.

Aang and Katara were dancing through the water, and Zuko instinctively realized that there was something special about the way they moved, for it was how he would have liked to move with Mai, if she were a bender and could practice with him.

"That's cheating!" cried Katara, having just attempted to twist Aang's feet with her water whip.

"Not for the Avatar, it's not!" he responded, using air to sail gracefully over her head. He landed on the other side of the fountain, sent one foot flying, and a spray of droplets erupted in Katara's face.

With a deep breath and flick of her hands, the droplets coalesced into a shimmering halo above her head, and then broke apart to send icicles back at Aang. Katara followed her frozen darts, water rising up on either side of her to form a clear path through the middle of the fountain. Aang used air again to blow the icicles away. Every move they made was completely silent. Besides their voices, not another sound existed in the courtyard. They used their bending to simultaneously manipulate the water, and muffle any sound it would have made naturally.

Zuko watched them for several minutes, entranced by the way they flowed from one form to the next. He had to admit, if slightly grudgingly, that they were creative and energetic with the water in a way that he hadn't quite mastered with fire. He resolved to try and incorporate more improvisation into his lessons with Aang from now on. As he was thinking of how to do this, a squeal drew his attention back to the fountain.

Aang stood near the center, jets of water lightly hitting his clothing, holding Katara neatly with one arm circled around her back. She was dipped as if they had just finished a dance, though from the looks of things, she had actually slipped on a streak of ice that Aang had created just under her feet. But Aang, not wanting her to fall, had caught her. Slowly, and breathing hard, he lifted her back to her feet. They were very close, and Aang's eyes were quite round, and Katara was looking at him and breathing just as heavily, and Zuko, sure they were about to kiss, looked away.

When he glanced back a moment later, both Aang and Katara were no longer standing in the fountain, but on solid ground with a foot of space between them, their cheeks red. Aang cleared his throat awkwardly. Katara shifted her feet nervously and pulled at a strand of long, dark hair. Just as Zuko was wondering what had gone wrong, Katara swooped down on Aang and wrapped her arms around him. She settled her lips gently, but firmly on his cheek, and when she pulled away a moment later, they were both so red that Zuko had to wonder how they weren't on fire.

Katara cleared her throat this time, said hastily, "Good night, Aang," and then walked speedily away. Aang, with a silly grin and glazed eyes, followed slowly after her, one hand on his cheek. Behind the pillar, Zuko rolled his eyes. But he, too, was smiling as he made his way back to bed.

"Well," he said to himself once he had reached the safety of his room. "Breakfast will be interesting tomorrow."


End file.
